A comparison

Alright, I have now recovered enough from NYE festivities to get back to the blog, we didn't over do it, but we definitely suffered from lack of sleep and dehydration.  It got me thinking about the similarities between the geographical area of Atlanta and people going out to drink.  Simply put I believe there are three types of people in the world, on one extreme you have drinkers, these are people who who might label as alcoholics, you might label them as partiers, it doesn't really matter.  On the other end are what I call people who don't drink, either they don't handle their alcohol well and become emotional or sick or any other number of reasons that they don't drink or in some cases shouldn't drink.  Right in the middle of these two extremes are the people who can drink, they neither overindulge or are scary to be around when they do drink.  There are, of course, varying levels inbetween the types, but everyone basically falls into these three categories. Now, how in the world does this relate to house hunting?  Well if you know anything about the city of Atlanta, it has two main highways, I-75 and I-85, cutting through the city which actually intersect into what we call the Connector, why the city engineers decided to do this still flummoxes the masses that use it on a daily basis.  Also if you actually consider the fact that a third road called 400 dumps into 85 and then the Connector, you have a whole lot of people and not a whole lot of lanes. Surrounding the periphery of the city is I-285, designed to bypass the city, the traffic on this road does nothing but divert most big rigs away from what may be considered some of the worst drivers in the continental United States, and I grew up driving with the Blue Hairs of South Florida.  OK, based on the roadway boundaries that these Interstates and Highways make we have three distinct areas OTP (outside the perimeter), ITP (inside the perimeter), and the actual Perimeter.  Depending on your point of view and since I am writing this blog I get to choose the parallels, but I believe ITP to be the drinkers, always in the mix, looking for the next big thing, and a train wreck.  OTP, the non-drinkers, white bread, know what to expect, and basically even keel.  Then there is the Perimeter, people who can drink, fun, good to be around, and generally can hang with both the OTP crowd and the ITP crowd.

Why is this important?

Well I have longed considered myself an ITP person, not to say I drink too much or anything of that nature, but in my 20's when I first moved here I always wanted to be in the know. Kendal considers herself an OTP person.  I moved to the city to be in the city, Kendal grew up in the suburbs and like a Salmon is determined to return there to spawn or live or whatever you want to label it. This obviously creates a division in our ability to house hunt and agree upon an area.  She has a point, the schools are better, crime is almost nonexistent and maybe most importantly you get more for your money. Over time and after considering the various reasons that go into choosing a house, I believe I am now more of a Perimeter person and even going so far as to concede the fact that I would live OTP, but my first reaction is to live Perimeter or ITP just inside the Perimeter. It will be interesting going into the future house hunting how this plays out with our ability to lock into an area we both agree upon.  My main concerns with moving into No Man's Land is that I don't think I will be working in Duluth forever and I know Kendal won't be working outside the Perimeter forever, or even at the end of this year. Fingers crossed :)! What is the point of having a terrific house in a great area if it takes you two hours to get to it from work everyday? That is my main concern with the whole OTP argument. I truly believe most of the jobs are going to be in the city moving forward and that when the day comes that we move onto other jobs we will suddenly be facing a commute that does not exactly improve our quality of life.  I also like to entertain and so does Kendal, when you live 25 miles from your nearest friend, they aren't going to come see you.  I don't do it and neither do they, I don't think that will change with time, but maybe it will, there are just so many unknowns with a decision like this, but hey that's the fun of it.  Looking into the tea cup and trying to read the leaves. I think it will all work our for the best and I guess we can always remember, no house has to be a permanent 30 year hold for us, and most likely won't be. I guess that's all I got to say for today, I believe we are going to drive some neighborhoods tomorrow, so maybe I will let Kendal take me OTP, I better bring some Tums!

So wishing us good luck and happy hunting!